Table-leaf support



F. L. CASPER 1,803,545

TABLE LEAF SUPPORT Filed March 14. 1929 May 5, 1931..

BY Pani/, 'a'epe@ W .NENTOR W ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1.931

UNITED STATES eAsrnn, orjHoWEs cAvnNEW YORK .rerun-'LEAF SUPPORT Application filed Ifarhllfwff?. Serial No. 34.7.092-

The .present invention icempehends" ,the vpro.Vision ota collapsible brace :tor arhingedly mounted member, .such as altable leatexten-I sion or the like', and its general application,

Vf Vfwhferever found useful or V desirable is 4conteul- `plated bythe claims.

Tghe invention .has f orits lchief wchiesti ya `brace constructim for theV .above ,mentioned v purpose7` v irplcluding companion Vmembers ,which are automatically and effectively .latched in. end to end Vrelation for use and whch-canionly be collapsed Q1' folded by force in. .one direction, :thereby 4absolutely eliminating possibility vof accidental displacement orV A :Collapsi L l ggotthe support under any and all .conditions 1 It jmy purpose fto construct a brace .ofthe above mentioned character, which( ycan be .manufactured i et. a 11.@Ilflilelrweb; :Campesina y V few parts, and iyet r which brace possesses maXmum Strength and durability.

.Anotherband important object of thefinvenion memberswith a stop to limitthe inward .25 movementof either orboth of the limbstof the other companionmember,.while said members yare beingextended for use, orcollapsed,

and ythereby :prevent Acasual derangement .or

separation of said members under anygand all conditions.

' Thenature and advantages el-heinren-l tonwill` be better understood when the fol#v lowing detail description read in conneccompanion members ofthe brace `arranged Vin @11d toend relation.

; Figure 3 is a bottom .plan view of,thebrace.l Figure 4 is a sectional view on lined-..4 of

Figure 3.

hingedmember of the .table entended,and the Figure 5 is a perspective-vieyvlof Q ;uerlne111-4 'f ber of the brace. Y Figure 6 is a similar viewoftheother meml lber of t-he brace. i

Figure 7 is a ysectional vievvionlineY VT-i'ofr Figure 3. Y V Y A Y A Figure 8 `is a transverse sectional view through Figure 9. v

modified construction. v

`tion islshown in connectionwith aftable leaf extension, although as-above stated.,` itsuse with other hingedly mounted members .wheres'oever found or'desirable iscontemplated by.

the claims. In the drawing l() represents a :table while the leafV eXteIliSion thereof is ndicated at `l-l and hingedly ,mounted Las iat 122.

., The V.c :o'llalpsible Vbrace `constitutinglthe silb- 1ject matterof` the present invention comprises f.

vtwo companion members constructedlandfas- 'A sociated. so that Staidlmembers are automatically effectively `latched when arranged.l in `end to end relation torus/se," and capable of being 4easily and quickly unlatched'by force y in onedirection.- A y V i The `in ,ernber includes spaced llllllsl terminating to provide offset extremities T14,

Y and whilelthis member 4maybe formed from any suitable .n'uaterial-7 itis preferably Viorrned ,l from a'single length of wire'intofthe contigui' :ration illustrated in Figure 6, possessingthe necessary or desired Ldegree of resiliency for aproper functioning or' thebrace infthe'manner to be hereinafter described. .ber A is `pvetally ,mcunted`na`s1ltab1e Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan View otra Y, ,t m The invention forthe purposeof illustra-MT bracket l5 secured to theundersideloffthe` i tableleafull as illustrated. y

The member B `mayalso be .QQnStructed from any suitable material, but .ispreifenablyn stamped` fromv a single blankzof ,material into the shapeV or kconfiguration illustrated in Figure 5j While the member` lV mayv'aryhin design, it is preferably V of triangular. contour iin plan `*as illustrated; the bidy"lflrtfofthe member being provi ded` with `an Aopening of similar .contourll' which entends throughout the'rnajdr'portion of the length of the meinber.V AA .part of therbody portiqn'is `rolled uren itself es at 18, t0 Prende-adie-member B with a cross member substantially cylindrical in cross section at its widest end., and which member is pivotally received within a suitable bracket 19 adapted to be secured to the adjacent side of the table 10. The member B is formed with ianges at two sides and one end thereof, the flange 20 at the end meeting the rolled part 18 of the body portion in the formation of the cross member above rcferred to. The flanges 20 at the sides of the member B are tapered, increasing in width toward the small end of the member, and from an appropriate point in their length, the flanges 21 are curved toward each other to provide channels for the reception of the adjacent limbs 13 of the member A. The iianges 21 are formed with aligned openings 22 which intersect the channels above referred to, and the offset extremities 14e of the member A are both pivotally and slidably received by these openings. The flanges 21 are also extended to provide spaced cam-like surfaces 23 located at opposite sides of each openings 22 which cooperate with the adjacent limbs 13 of the member A, whereby the conipanion members are automatically and effectively latched when moved in end to end relation, and quickly and conveniently unlatched by force in one direction.

It will be noted upon inspection of Figures 3 and 4c, that the oifset extremities 1 4 of the member A pass through openings in the member B directly beneath the cam-like surfaces 23, and that when the companion'members are arranged in end to end relation, the limbs 13 of the member A are received by the chaunel-like portions of the member B resting upon the adjacent end of the body of said member B. When the hinged member 11 is in its lowered or folded position, the brace is collapsed, and the companion members assume the position shown in Figure l. When the table leaf extension 11 is swung outwardly to a horizontal position, the companion members of the brace are arranged in end to end relation, and incident to the pivotal movement of the members A and B at their point of connection with each other, the limbs 13 of the member A pass over the camlike surface 23, the resiliency of the limbs 13A allowing the latter to move toward each other, until they pass off the cam-like` sur` faces, whereupon the limbs 13 snap into the channel-like portions of the member B. When the parts are arranged in this relation as illustrated in Figure 2, the brace can not be accidentally displaced or collapsed by any amount of weight or pressure exerted upon the extension 11, nor by careless handling of the table or other article of which the hinged member 11 forms part. In other words the construction provides a brace possessing maximum strength and durability at the point of connection between the companion members, when the latter are arranged 1n end to end relation for use, and the brace can only be collapsed to permit folding of the extension 11, by force against the brace in an upward direction. When this force is applied the joint between the members A and B is broken, the cam-like surfaces 23 again moving across the limbs 13 of the member A, moving them toward each other until they pass off the cam-like surfaces, whereupon they are allowed to spread or separate as the members A and B assume folded positions substantially parallel.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have illustrated a modified construction, wherein means is providedto prevent casual derangement or separation of the companion members under any and all conditions. For instance, when the companion members A and B are extended into end to end relation for use, or while being collapsed, the limbs 13 of the member A move toward each other while passing over the cam-like surfaces 23, and if for any reason one of the limbs would not release easily, the other limb might move to such extent to separate the olfset extremity thereof from the member B. In order to obviate any casual separation of the parts, I provide a means for limiting the inward movement of the limbs 13 of the member A, while the members are being either extended or collapsed as above stated. While various constructions of means may be employed for this purpose, I have illustrated in the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed, a stop 24 carried by the companion member B and located between the limbs 13 of the member A, so that the inward movement of either or both limbs is limited. While the stop 24C can be attached to the member A in any suitable manner, it preferably forms an integral part of the member B, the body portion 16 thereof being stamped upwardly to form the stop as clearly shown in Figures 8 an 9.

While it is believed that from the foregoing description the nature and advantages of the invention will be readily understood, I desire to have it known that I do not limit myself to what is herein shown and described, and that such changes may be resorted to when desired as fall within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a hingedly mounted member and its support, of a brace comprising companion members pivotally mounted on said hinged member and support, one of said brace members having spaced resilient limbs terminating to provide offset extremities, the other member having openings to both slidably and pivotally receive said oifset extremities, and spaced cam-like surfaces located at opposite sides of each opening and cooperating with said limbs, whereby said members are effectively latched when moved in end to end relation, and adapted to be unlatched Yby forcein a direction perpendicularly to said offset extremities.

2. The combination Vwith a hingedly mounted member and its support, of avbrace comprising companion members pivotally Vmounted on said hinged member and support,l one of said brace members having spaced resilient limbs terminating to provide offset extremities, the other of said brace members being stamped from a single piece of material andhaving openings to bothpivotally and slidably receive said offset extremities, and spaced cam-like surfaces'formed on said second mentioned member locatedat opposite sides of each opening and cooperating with said limbs, whereby said members are effectively latched when moved into end 4to end relation, and adapted to be unlatched by force applied perpendicularly to said ofset extremities.

A3. The combination with a hingedly mounted member and its support, of a brace comprising companion members pivotally mounted on said hinged'member and support, one of said brace members having spaced resilient limbs terminating to provide offset extremi-f ties, the other of said brace members being stamped from a single blank of material and including a body portion having longitudinal flanges, each ange being extended to provide spaced cam-like surfaces, and provided with an opening located between said suroifset extremities, whereby said limbs cooperate with said cam surfaces to eectively latch said members when moved fin .end to end relation, and require force perpendicularly to said oset extremities to unlatch said members. i i

4f. The Y combiantion with a hingedly mounted member and its support, of a brace comprising companion members pivotally mounted on said hinged member and support,

one.of said brace members having spaced `limbs. terminating to provide oifset extremil ties, the other of said brace members being stamped from a single blank of material and including a bod portionhaving longitudinal flanges, said anges being curved toward leach other adjacent one end of the body por,-

tion to provide channels, andfeach having an opening intersecting the channel tov both slidably and pivotally receive'the offset ex-HV tremities of the adjacent limb, and said Y curved portions of said flanges being extended to form spaced cam-like surfaces located at opposite sides of each opening and cooperating'with said limbs, whereby said members are effectively latched when'moved into end to end relation, and adapted to be unlatched by `force applied perpendicularly to said offset extremities.V

5. The combination with a hingedly comprising companion members pivotally mounted on said hinged member and support, one of said brace members having spaced resilient limbs terminating to provide offset extremities, the other of said brace members being stamped from a single pieceof material and having openings to yboth pivotally and Vslida'bly receive said offset extremities, spaced cam-like surfaces formed on said second mentloned member at opposite sides of each opening and cooperating with said limbs, whereby Y `said members are effectively latched when moved into end to end relation, and adapted mounted member and its support,vof abrace 

